


Child Of The Flame

by Onthecyberseas



Series: Ruler Of The Heart [2]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Adoption, Background Het, Child Abandonment, F/F, F/M, Femslash, Fire Powers, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 00:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6777760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onthecyberseas/pseuds/Onthecyberseas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after the events of Ruler Of The Heart, Elsa and Asha's world is turned upside down by a baby left on the castle's doorstep. Elsa x Female OC and Kristanna. Originally posted on FFN.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Snow once again covered the kingdom of Arendelle, but this time it wasn't Elsa's doing. It was the heart of winter and the majority of the citizens were tucked into their warm beds. The kingdom had prospered in the past year and the approval of the royal family was the highest it had ever been. It had taken a while for many of the subjects to accept that their queen had married another woman, but soon their love for Queen Asha was as great as their love for Queen Elsa. Everyone was also anticipating the birth of Princess Anna and Prince Kristoff's child, who was expected to be born any day now. The kingdom was joyful and all was well for the moment.

The quiet of the evening was disturbed as a lone hooded figure fought their way through the cold winds. They carried a small bundle wrapped in blankets that they hugged close to their body. Reaching the steps of the castle, the figure stopped short. The figure raised the bundle to their mouth, giving it a quick kiss before gingerly placing the bundle in front of the door.

The figure knocked loudly on the door before running out of plain sight. They hid behind a cart as they watched the door open and the guard discovered the bundle. The guard picked up the bundle and opened the folds of the blanket, gasping as he saw what was inside.

Glancing around, the guard checked the courtyard for any sign of the person who had abandoned it. Nobody came into his line of sight, and he brought the bundle into the castle. Satisfied at the closing of the door, the mysterious figure slipped into the night, never to be seen again.

 

Elsa opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the morning light. She rolled over and smiled as she saw her wife sleeping soundly next to her. It was almost a year since their wedding. It had been an uphill battle before as Elsa struggled to get the approval of not only Asha's father as well as the people of her kingdom. Using her executive powers as Queen, Elsa had published a decree that allowed couples of all genders to be legally married in the kingdom. The wedding was small and intimate, only family and friends coming to support the couple. The wedding went smoothly and the couple had their first dance during a performance by the wickedly talented travelling performer Adele Dazeem.

If someone had told her younger self that she would one day embrace her ice powers and find happiness in both love and family, she knew the scared little girl wouldn't believe her. Yet here she was, living a dream.

"Morning," Asha grunted as she awoke from her slumber.

Elsa leaned down to kiss Asha on the lips, "Good morning to you too." Elsa smiled as her thoughts drifted back to the ball where they had first met. She remembered being entranced by the dark-skinned beauty and how that night had signaled a new beginning for both of them. Over a year later, Elsa couldn't believe her luck.

Asha sat up and rubbed her eyes, "What are you thinking about?"

"The night we met," Elsa replied honestly.

Smiling Asha joked, "Yeah, a reindeer running through the ballroom is pretty memorable."

"Not as memorable as our first kiss," Elsa replied. She kissed Asha again, feeling the same spark between them as she did that first time. Asha smiled back at her and her heart fluttered in her chest.

The couple was interrupted by a knock. Elsa slipped on a pair of shoes as she went to answer the door. A guard stood on the other side, looking like he hadn't slept all night. He bowed to her, "Your majesty. I'm sorry to wake you, but I have urgent business to speak to you about."

Nodding, Elsa replied, "Very well." She closed the door behind her and followed him through the castle down to the kitchen.

Opening the door, she found a handmaiden attending to a bundle resting on the table. "We found him last night on the doorstep," the guard filled her in as the walked over to the table.

Elsa looked down at the bundle and saw a baby's face staring back at her. The baby cooed at her as they stared at each other. Apprehension seized her first. Asha had been asking her about adopting a baby, but Elsa was not able to give her a definite answer. She liked children, but she was nervous about raising one of her own. She had come along way in the past year, allowing herself to open up to her sister and Asha. However, the idea of raising a child frightened her and she was worried about not being able to be a good parent.

Still, as she looked down at the baby boy she felt an instant connection. She couldn't explain it, but she felt like they were similar in some regard. He smiled up at her and her heart melted.

She carefully scooped the bundle into her arms and told the guard that she would look after him for now. At least until her and Asha decided whether they would keep him or not. She walked into the dining room where Asha, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf were eating breakfast. As she walked, she debated internally whether she was ready for the responsibility that might soon be hers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name that Elsa decides on is meant to be a simple reference to the Snow Queen fairytale, not an indicator of future events.

Elsa opened the door to the dining room and found Asha, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven around the large wooden table. The table was covered with breakfast specialties from both Arendelle and Asha's home kingdom. Olaf wasn't eating but was talking to Sven, who was scarfing down a plate of fresh carrots.

Anna was the first to notice her, standing up to greet her. Her pregnant belly had completely swelled and she was looking forward to the birth of her and Kristoff's child more than anyone. "Good morning sis," Anna smiled affectionately.

The others turned to face her. Asha noticed the bundle in her arms. "What is that?" Asha came over to take the bundle from her. She gasped as she realized the bundle's contents. "Hey there, little one," Asha cooed at the baby. The baby just giggled and reached his hand out to her.

"He was found on the steps of the castle," Elsa announced to the room, "I thought we could keep him until we find his parents."

Anna came over and took the bundle in her arms, "Hello nephew." She turned to Elsa, "What are you going to call him?"

Elsa paused, "I don't know how long he's going to stay here."

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Asha asked her wife. Elsa nodded and they walked outside of the dining room. Once outside, Asha asked, "He was abandoned on the castle steps?" Elsa nodded, "Then it is clear that his parents won't come for him."

"There's a chance," Elsa said quickly.

Asha's eyes narrowed, "I don't think so. He should stay with us. We've talked about adopting and now an opportunity has landed in our laps." Elsa shook her head, and Asha recognized the look of fear in her eyes. "What is it?" Asha asked with concern.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready to be a parent," Elsa admitted, "I'm not going to be good at it."

Placing a comforting hand on Elsa's shoulder, Asha said, "Listen to me, Elsa. You will be a great parent. I know that you had a rough childhood, but you won't be like your parents. I know that you are capable of being a good parent. You love your sister. You love me. You're smart and caring. You're capable of giving the love and care that a child needs and deserves."

Elsa wiped a couple of tears welling up in her eyes. "You really think so?"

Asha nodded, "I know so."

Elsa took a deep breath, "Alright. We'll raise him as our own. But in the rare chance that the parents come back, we will have to say goodbye."

"Thank you," Asha said as she kissed Elsa. They walked back into the dining room to find, Olaf playing "Peek-A-Boo" with their new child.

Anna looked up at them. "Are we going to keep him?"

Elsa nodded, "Yes, we are."

"What are you going to name him?" Kristoff asked curiously.

Elsa looked to Asha for the answer, but Asha said, "You get to decide."

Thinking for a few moments, Elsa decided on a name. "Kai. His name is Kai."

Asha smiled as she walked over and picked up the baby, "Hello Kai. Welcome to the family." Elsa smiled as Asha held Kai in her arms. She looked happy, and she hoped that she wouldn't let Asha or Kai down.


	3. Chapter 3

"Why won't he stop crying?" Elsa whined as she held a screaming Kai in her arms. They had tried feeding him, changing his cloth diapers, even rocking him to sleep. Nothing worked and Kai seemed intent to keep the entire castle awake with his shrieks. Besides a few peaceful hours, neither Elsa nor Asha had gotten a good night sleep in a week.

"You could try shaking him," Olaf suggested as he held his twig arms to where his ears would be.

Asha and Elsa glared at him. "You can't shake a baby," Elsa snapped, "It would hurt his brain."

"I don't have a brain," Olaf replied quickly.

"Obviously," Asha retorted, the lack of sleep getting to her as well.

Anna stood up from her chair. "Okay, all of you need to calm down." The two women and snowman turned to look at her. "Olaf was just trying to help." Olaf nodded in response.

Asha sighed and looked at Olaf. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"It's okay," Olaf said cheerfully, forgiving her easily.

Satisfied, Anna looked to Elsa. "There is one thing you haven't tried yet." Elsa tried to wrack her brain for the answer. Coming up blank, she waited for Anna to explain.

"Remember when we were really young? Before the trolls and the isolation and every other bad thing that happened?" Elsa grimaced as she thought about the longest and darkest period of her life. Anna gave her a sympathetic smile before continuing her explanation, "When I would have a nightmare you would hug me and sing me a lullaby to calm me down. My fears would usually go away and I would go back to sleep."

Elsa smiled fondly at the memory, "I don't know."

"You should," Asha encouraged her, "you sing as well as Adele Dazeem."

Elsa was surprised at the compliment, "You really think so?"

Anna, Asha, and Olaf nodded. Taking a deep breath, Elsa cradled Kai at eye level and began to sing softly the lullaby she had learned as a child. Though she hadn't sung the song in ages, the words came to her as though it was yesterday.

Miraculously, the lullaby seemed to do the trick as Kai stopped crying and smiled at Elsa. As the song finished, Elsa grinned as Kai's eyes began to droop and sleep overcame him. "Good night," Elsa whispered as she kissed the top of Kai's head.

Asha took Kai from her arms and brought him over to his crib. She placed him down gently before pulling a warm blanket over his tiny body. Elsa smiled at Anna, "Thank you."

Anna grinned in response, "Glad that I could help." She shuffled awkwardly before asking, "Kristoff and I were wondering if we could babysit Kai tomorrow night."

"Why?" Elsa asked, "We have no plans for the evening."

"We thought that it would be good practice for us," Anna explained caressing her baby bump, "and you could use some sleep."

Elsa shook her head as she stifled a yawn, "I'm fine."

"No you're not," replied Anna, "You spent a whole minute in the advisor meeting repeatedly asking Erik how many are in a dozen and getting angrier after each subsequent answer of twelve."

Elsa frowned as the memory came to her, "I did, didn't I?"

Nodding, Anna said, "I was worried you were going to freeze him in that moment. Let us take care of him for a night. You and Asha can get some rest and you'll feel refreshed the next morning."

Both Elsa and Asha felt as though a weight had been lifted off of their shoulders, "Thank you," Elsa said, pulling Anna into a tight hug.

"Anything for you, Sis," Anna said sweetly. She yawned before saying, "Good night," as she walked out of the room. Elsa and Asha briefly kissed before getting ready for bed, hoping to get the first good night's sleep in a while.


	4. Chapter 4

The next evening started as planned. As Elsa and Asha slept peacefully in their bed, Kristoff and Anna brought Kai to the room that they had set up for their own child. Though she tried not to show it, Anna was nervous about the evening. During her time trapped in the castle, Anna had plenty of time to read. Among the books in the castle's vast library was a book on childcare that Anna had read one rainy afternoon out of curiosity when she was sixteen years old. Reading about it was one thing, but doing it was an entirely different thing. Kristoff had done his best to reassure her that together they would be great parents; despite the fact that his only experiences with children were baby rock trolls.

Anna fed Kai his dinner and rocked him to sleep with a lullaby. After putting him in his crib, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven shared their own dinner, enjoying a quiet conversation, only interrupted by the loud crunching noise of Sven devouring his carrots. It was an hour later, when Kai's cries interrupted the conversation. Anna picked Kai up out of his crib and the stench that hit her nose revealed what had woken the child. Kristoff found a cloth diaper and brought it over as Anna laid Kai on the changing table.

She was starting to get the hang of it, when she was thrown for a loop. Kai suddenly burst into flames spontaneously. Anna screamed as she drew her hand back, a slight burn mark branded on her fingers. Kristoff ran towards her with a fresh cloth while Sven cowered in the corner of the room in fear of Kai, who had quickly returned to his normal state.

"Are you okay?" Kristoff asked, his face unable to hide his concern. Anna shook her head, still in shock. "You need some ice," Kristoff said, "I'll go wake Elsa."

Anna raised her unburned hand, "No, I'm not waking her."

"She needs to know about this," Kristoff argued.

"And we'll tell her and Asha when they wake up in the morning," Anna reassured him.

Kristoff shrugged and sent for Olaf instead. The snowman came bounding into the room and Anna placed her hand on his body. Cautiously, Kristoff finished changing Kai's diaper and placed him back into his crib. He tried not to show it, but Kai frightened him. Having a sister in law with ice powers was fine, even cool, no pun intended of course, but fire was a whole new level of danger. Still, Kristoff was calmed by the fact that if anyone could help Kai control his newly manifested powers, it would be Elsa.

"How are you feeling?" Kristoff turned to his wife.

Anna looked up from Olaf's body, "I'll be fine." Kristoff nodded and walked over to sit down next to her.

"Fire and Ice. This is going to be interesting," Kristoff joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Anna giggled in response, "Yeah, soon Arendelle won't need an army. The enemies will just be scared away by the magic." Her brow furrowed as she saw Kristoff's apprehension. "Still want to have a baby with me?"

"Of course," Kristoff answered quickly, "Abandonment is my parent's thing." He placed his hand over Anna's, "I love you and our unborn baby and I'm not going anywhere. Sven will eventually come around to it as well." He gestured to the reindeer that was taking tentative steps towards Kai's crib. Anna responded by kissing Kristoff, and then launched into a discussion of how they were going to tell Elsa and Asha the news about Kai's powers.

 

Both Elsa and Asha woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. An evening of catching up on sleep was exactly what they had needed. Exchanging a quick peck on the lips, the couple changed out of their sleepwear and headed down to the kitchen for breakfast. Anna and Kristoff, who both wore matching bags under their eyes and nervous expressions, greeted them.

"How did it go?" Asha asked while picking up Kai in her arms.

"Fine," Anna smiled, trying to conceal her bandaged hand behind her back. Not quick enough to escape Elsa's notice however.

"What happened to your hand?"

Anna took a deep breath and was about to explain, when Kristoff blurted out, "Kai has fire powers."

Elsa and Asha gaped at him, "What?"

"Kai burst into flames last night. It seems that he has the ability to create and control fire," Anna explained calmly. Elsa and Asha stared at Kai in shock who merely cooed back at his mothers.

As Asha talked to Kai while cradling him, Elsa stood frozen to the spot. Every doubt she had about being able to raise Kai as her own replayed in her head on an infinite loop. She had doubted her abilities when Kai was a normal baby dumped on their doorstep, but the fact that he had powers scared her even more. It would seem that she would be the best equipped to handle his special abilities, but she was scared that she wouldn't be able to raise him properly, that she wouldn't be able to teach him how to control his powers. What if something went wrong and Asha and Anna were hurt? It had only been a year and a couple months since she herself had put the kingdom in danger. Sure her powers could be controlled by love, but what about his? What if she was hurt or the kingdom was put in danger? After all, fire had the tendency to melt ice.

Still, she had grown attached to Kai and the kid didn't have any family that she knew of. She felt Asha put her hand on her shoulder and she relaxed into her wife's touch

"Are you okay?" Asha whispered to her. Elsa straightened her posture and nodded. She knew she could do this. Kai needed her and she needed to conceal her doubts and let them go. He was their son now, and Elsa had promised to take care of him. She walked over to Kai and picked him up in her hands. He smiled his toothless smile and Elsa smiled back, even though fear was filling her heart.


	5. Chapter 5

Despite the royal family's efforts to keep the news quiet, news of Kai and his extraordinary abilities traveled quickly through the kingdom of Arendelle, almost like fire. The story was swapped around by the villagers, then made its way to the traveling salesmen who passed it to the neighboring kingdoms. It became the most talked about thing for miles, replacing the old tale of a couple of summers ago when the Snow Queen had accidentally frozen her kingdom and how her sister's act of true love had thawed her frozen heart and saved the kingdom.

While many of the citizens had grown comfortable with the idea of people with magical abilities in the time following that fateful cursed summer, many were still wary of it. When these few brought up their concerns of having a baby that could manipulate fire becoming heir to the Arendelle throne, their friends and family would point out the fact that if anyone could help little Kai learn to control his powers, it would be Queen Elsa.

News of the miraculous fire baby soon reached a small struggling kingdom to the west of Arendelle. When their king, King Werner, heard the story he promptly demanded that his guards prepare his horse and he set off on a journey to the Kingdom of Arendelle to see the baby for himself.

On the way there, his advisors filled him in on what they knew. Queen Elsa and Queen Asha had found the baby abandoned on the steps of the palace. Nobody had come forth to claim the child as their own, so the two Queens had decided to raise him as their own. It was in their care that the child had revealed his powers.

Listening intently, an idea struck the King and a plan was formed. Upon arriving at the castle of Arendelle, the King requested an audience with the Queens and they obliged him.

Elsa and Asha sat in their thrones across from their visitor, both curious as to what the King wanted to speak to them about. Arendelle rarely did any business with the western kingdom and the King having coming all the way to speak to them was unusual.

"What business do you wish to discuss?" Elsa asked politely, sizing the King up as she spoke.

Undeterred by the Queen's icy stare, the King said, "I'm not here on business, Your Majesties. I am here for a more personal matter."

The Queens looked intrigued as the King explained, "I was due to be a father a few months ago. I was looking forward to welcoming the future heir of my kingdom and introducing my son to the people. A couple of nights after the baby's birth." He sniffed as though he was on the verge of tears, pulling out a handkerchief to dab his eyes. "I found out that his mother had run away with the boy." He cried into the handkerchief for dramatic effect. "I've been searching for my son and his mother and when I heard that a baby had been dropped on your doorstep, I had to see if he was the boy I had been searching for."

The two Queens looked at him with matching stunned expressions. "You are aware that our baby has the ability to manipulate fire?" Asha narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.

The King nodded, "I did hear that and I will love him unconditionally no matter what his condition."

"Do you think that you would be equipped to raise a child with special needs?" Elsa asked.

"I think that I am up to the challenge," the King responded, "I am the boy's father and I will give him the love and support that he needs to succeed in addition to helping him with his abilities. I know that you two are very busy with the kingdom and I will be happy to take him off your hands."

Asha looked over at Elsa, "May I speak to you in private?" Once they were out of earshot, Asha said, "I don't trust him."

"Why not?"

"I know what fake crying looks and sounds like," replied Asha, "And that's definitely it."

"Perhaps he has difficulty expressing emotion?" Elsa asked, remembering the "Conceal, Don't Feel" mantra she had lived by for years. "Perhaps he feels tears will endear him to us?"

"You don't honestly believe that?"

Elsa shook her head, "Not really, no." She knew that she was letting her anxiety and fear talk instead of her logic, but she couldn't fight the anxiety she had felt ever since Kai had come into their lives. "But we did say that if anyone claimed Kai as their own child, we would have no choice but to hand him over."

"I don't trust him," Asha reiterated.

"We have no reason to believe that he wouldn't make a good father."

"We have no reason to believe that he would."

"We knew this day might come," Elsa said with a sense of finality, "If he is truly Kai's father, who are we to stop him from reuniting him with his son. I know we've grown attached to him, but maybe this is the best thing for him."

"For him or for you?" Asha snapped. She turned to storm out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Elsa asked.

"To say goodbye to OUR son," Asha said, "And to move my things into the guest room."

"Asha, you don't mean that." She received no response besides a door slamming behind Asha as she left the room. Elsa sighed, feeling terrible about what had just happened. She hated when Asha was upset and she hated being the one to make her upset. She sincerely hoped that she was doing the right thing and that the King would take good care of Kai.

Heading up to the nursery, Elsa picked Kai up in her arms. Kai cooed at her and Elsa felt a few tears spring to her eyes. "I'm going to miss you Kai," Elsa said softly, "But this is for the best." Kai started wailing and Elsa sang the lullaby that she had grown accustomed to singing over the past few months.

Kai calmed down and Elsa brought him down to the King. He took the baby from her and promised once again that he would take good care of him. Elsa was too sad to look him in the eye. The King and his men got onto their horses and started the journey back to their kingdom. Unbeknownst to them, a talking snowman was trailing them, determined to find out if the King's motives were true.


	6. Chapter 6

Not watching where she was going, Elsa nearly ran right into her sister. Anna clutched her baby bump and looked at her sister in concern. "Are you alright?"

Elsa shook her head. Anna looked even more worried. "What's wrong?"

As Elsa filled her in on the day's events, Anna listened intently. When she finished her story, Anna gasped and exclaimed, "How could you?"

"He claimed that he was Kai's father," Elsa reminded her. Regret weighed her down, but did nothing to offset the fear that had pushed her to give up Kai in the first place.

Anna looked at her incredulously. "And you believed him?"

"I…maybe?" Elsa sputtered out.

Narrowing her eyes, Anna said, "You're not entirely sure and you just gave him away?"

A single tear fell from Elsa's eye. She sniffed and wiped it away. It turned to solid ice when she touched it and it hit the floor with a crash as it shattered. "I thought it would be best."

"For who?"

"For Kai," Elsa confessed, "It's best for him to have a parent who isn't scared."

"You think you're the only one who's scared to be a parent?" Anna found her voice rising. "I'm scared, Kristoff is scared. Even Asha is scared. Everyone's scared but we all overcome it. We set aside our fears and be the best we can be for our children." Anna shot her a sympathetic look. "I know that our situation is quite different than most, but it doesn't change anything. You overcame your fears twice and learned to let love in, you can do it again."

Elsa stared at Anna, letting her words sink in. Anna suddenly turned around and Elsa asked, "W-Where are you going?"

"To console my sister-in-law." Anna called over her shoulder as she walked away, once again leaving Elsa by herself.

Elsa was tempted to run back to the safety of her ice castle, but she stayed put. Running wasn't the answer; it would only make things worse. She slumped down against the nearby wall as she thought about everything that had happened.

Her train of thought was broken when she heard the sound of huffing and puffing at the end of the hallway. She looked up and turned her head to see Olaf running towards her. The snowman had an expression of worry instead of his usual smile. "What is it, Olaf?"

Still trying to catch his breath, Olaf said, "We need to rescue Kai."

"What do you mean?"

"Werner is not Kai's father," Olaf said, "He plans to use Kai's powers as a weapon."

"What is your proof of this?" Elsa asked.

"I climbed onto his carriage," Olaf said. I held on and when I heard the King's plans, I jumped off and came back here. The fall didn't hurt me because I don't have a skull or bones."

Elsa took a deep breath, wanting to slap herself for her stupidity. She should have known. She should have listened to Asha. She should have trusted her own instincts.

She stood up with a renewed sense of determination. She had to make this right. She had put Kai in danger and she needed to be the one to rescue him. Anna was right. She had to overcome her fears and be the parent that she needed to be.

"Go to Erik and tell him to prepare my carriage," Elsa instructed Olaf. Squealing with excitement, Olaf ran off, shouting about the adventure he was about to go on.

Elsa made her way to her room. The door was closed and Elsa lightly knocked. "Asha, can I talk to you for a moment?"

There was no answer. Elsa knocked again, the ironic fact that this was how her and Anna's relationship had been for years was not lost on her. "Asha, please." Elsa called, "I know you're in there."

There was still no answer. Taking a deep breath, Elsa said, "You were right Asha. You always are. I should've listened to you and I'm so sorry. I'm leaving tonight to fix my mistake. I'm going to get our son back. I know that you're angry and you have every right to be, but I will spend the rest of our lives making it up to you and Kai." She paused before saying her favorite Swahili expression. It had been the first one Asha had taught her and it had since been the way they said 'I Love You' to each other, "Cha mtima cha moyo."

Sighing, Elsa stepped away from the door. She walked outside towards her carriage where Olaf was waiting. They nodded at each other as they stepped into the carriage. Closing the door behind them, they rode into the night, determined to rescue Kai and bring their family back together.


	7. Chapter 7

Elsa's anxiety seemed to worsen with each bump of the carriage as it hurtled towards the Western Kingdom. She knew what needed to be done, she knew that she had to get Kai back in order to reunite their family. Even more so, she knew that she had to overcome her fears if any of this was going to work. Olaf was sitting across from her in the carriage. She was surprised that the snowman hadn't said too much since they had left Arendelle, but she was thankful that he respected her need for silence.

She felt the carriage start to slow and a quick glance outside the window told her that they had arrived at the gates of the massive castle of the Western Kingdom. The carriage jolted to a complete stop and Elsa glanced at Olaf. "Wait here," said Elsa, "If I'm not back in an hour, come find me." Elsa could tell that Olaf was disappointed that he would have to stay in the carriage, but he still nodded to indicate that he would follow her instructions.

Taking a deep breath, Elsa stepped out of the carriage. Two of King Werner's guards came over to greet her. She stood up straight and put on a show of confidence to mask her fear. "I request an audience with the King."

The two guards looked at each other. The taller of the two stepped forward, "We are under strict orders to not allow you inside, Queen Elsa."

Elsa narrowed her eyes, "I traveled all of this way to speak to the King and I demand to see him."

Shaking his head the guard said, "I suggest you start heading home. The King has forbidden us to let you through." They started to advance towards her, ready to force her out if necessary.

Feeling her anger course through her body, Elsa used it to harness her power. "And I suggest that you freeze." Ice shot out of her hands and enveloped the two guards. They were immobilized in giant blocks of ice, with only their heads untouched by the frozen ice. Elsa didn't want to cause harm to the guards, but the ice would hold them as long as she needed.

After a moment of admiring her work, Elsa walked past the guards and through the open gates towards the castle. Many of the King's servants stopped and whispered to each other as she passed, but nobody moved to stop her. Elsa assumed that they were afraid of her and she held her head high as she marched towards the castle doors.

She threw open the door and marched inside. The guards that surrounded the King pointed their weapons at her. The King turned around to face her, holding a crying Kai on his lap. He made a motion to the guards and they lowered their weapons. "Queen Elsa," said the King, "to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"The deal is off, Werner," Elsa said angrily.

The King laughed at her, "We made that deal fair and square. You wouldn't want to look bad in front of your people as a ruler who can't stand by her decisions."

Elsa took a deep breath to calm her breathing, "The deal was made under false pretenses. You claimed to be Kai's father and I gave you the benefit of the doubt. An eyewitness told me that you were lying about that and took Kai to use as a weapon for your kingdom."

The King seemed shocked by the accusation, but he quickly gained his composure, "I'm sure your eyewitness is the one lying."

Shaking her head, Elsa said, "I have faith in my eyewitness."

Pulling Kai towards him, Werner said, "A deal is a deal, Your Highness." He glanced at his guards, "Escort the Queen outside."

The group of guards, Elsa counted seven of them, advanced towards her. Hearing Kai's cries spurred Elsa into action. Harnessing her power once again, Elsa trapped the guards in blocks of ice as she had done to the guards outside.

Kai's cries became louder and Elsa saw that he was afraid. His little body became engulfed in flames and little flames started flying randomly around the room. A couple of flames his the walls of the throne room causing the tapestries adorning the walls to burn and others hit the ice blocks, causing them to melt.

Smoke filled the room and Elsa coughed. A newly freed guard came up behind her and Elsa froze him again. A couple of guards came up behind her and Elsa made quick work of them as well.

As she was distracted, one of Kai's flames hit her in the back. Causing her dress to catch on fire. Elsa tried to put out the flames, but her ice powers were no match for the power of fire. Elsa felt her powers weaken and she keeled over, writhing on the floor in pain.

She saw someone tower over her and she looked up to see King Werner, with Kai in his hands laughing at her. "You're no match for the Child Of The Flame, Ice Queen. Don't worry, I'll treat your subjects fairly when all of Arendelle is mine."

Elsa wanted to strike him where he stood, but couldn't do anything with Kai sitting in his arms. Elsa and Kai locked eyes and Elsa got an idea. Using her remaining strength, she started to sing a lullaby. She had used it to calm Kai down so many times and she knew all of the words by heart.

As she sang, Elsa saw Kai's eyes soften and he smiled at her. Elsa felt a wave of pain come over her and she stopped singing, collapsing to the ground. Elsa felt the flames being lifted off of her and she felt like she could breathe again. Werner lifted a sword to strike and Kai turned his attention to the King. He produced a flame in his hand and threw it at the king. It hit him and engulfed his body with flames. Kai slipped from his arms and he screamed as he fell. Elsa reached out her hands and caught him before he hit the ground.

"Thank you Kai," Elsa whispered as the two shared a look, "I'm so sorry." Kai's smile was the last thing she remembered before she lost consciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

Elsa stirred awake, groaning as a dull pain enveloped her entire body. She slowly opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light. As she took in her surroundings, she realized that she was in fact back in the castle, lying on her own bed in the comfort of her own home. Elsa let out a sigh of relief as she realized that she was still alive after her fight in the Western Kingdom.

Her thoughts shifted to Kai and she tried to sit up as her heart filled with worry. "Don't sit up," Asha's voice came from the side of the bed. She turned around to find her wife sitting next to her. She was sitting in a chair that had been pulled up to the side of the bed. Her naturally curly hair was disheveled and there were prominent bags under her eyes.

"But Kai…" Elsa was relieved to see Asha by her side, but she was still worried about their son.

"Kai is fine," Asha explained, "He's resting." She gestured over to the crib in their room, which sure enough held a peacefully sleeping Kai. He seemed unfazed by everything that had happened, as though he was a normal baby with no extraordinary abilities.

Feeling a huge weight lifted off of her, Elsa rubbed her eyes. It was then that she noticed burn marks on her hands and she assumed that they spread throughout her body. She shuddered as she remembered the fight with King Werner, the sensation of being on fire, and how Kai had saved her. She realized that she didn't remember anything that happened since then. Turning to Asha, she asked, "How did I get here?"

Asha tenderly took Elsa's hand in hers. "After your fight with the King," Asha explained, "Olaf went to look for you when you didn't come back and found you passed out on the castle floor. Erik carried you and Kai back to the carriage. They drove you back to Arendelle and you've been sleeping for the past few days. How are you feeling?"

Elsa didn't answer right away. She was a little sore, but she had succeeded in rescuing Kai and was once again by Asha's side where she belonged. Being in the presence of her family, made her burn wounds miniscule. Elsa smiled for the first time in a while, "Better."

She noticed that there was someone missing from the room. "Where's Anna?"

"She went into labor," Asha answered.

Elsa attempted to sit up again. "I want to see her." Knowing that she wasn't going to be able to stop Elsa, Asha helped her stand up. Elsa leaned on her for support as they walked towards Anna's room. Elsa turned to Asha and said, "I'm really sorry about everything."

"I know," Asha said, "I heard what you said before you left. Thank you for making things right again. Cha mtima cha moyo."

Elsa smiled back at her, "Cha mtima cha moyo."

They reached Anna's door and Asha carefully opened it. Anna was lying down on the bed, holding her newborn baby in her arms. Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf surrounded the bed, all smiling at the new arrival.

Anna spotted Elsa and called out, "Elsa! How are you? Are you alright?"

Elsa smiled back and said, "I'm fine. The more important question is how are you?"

"Relieved that its over, "Anna quipped, "They don't prepare you for how painful giving birth is."

Elsa laughed, "I guess there are some things you just can't prepare for." She looked at the bundle in Anna's arms. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Girl," Anna said beaming while Kristoff looked at his wife and daughter with pride and adoration. "Her name is Gerda."

"I like it," Elsa said. Kai started to cry back in his crib and Asha left the room to attend to him. Elsa leaned on the doorframe for support as she talked to Anna about her new niece.

Soon, Asha came back with Kai in her arms. He had stopped crying, but was fidgeting slightly. Elsa took the baby into her arms and held him. Kai cooed in her arms and Elsa grinned at him.

Elsa glanced at her sister, niece, and brother in law, and then to Sven and Olaf who were just as much family. She turned her gaze to Asha and they shared a quick kiss before Elsa looked at Kai. While unconventional, Elsa was incredibly grateful for the family that had come into her life and gathered around her. She loved every one of them and never in a million years did she think she would be so lucky. It had been a struggle for her to let them in, but she was happy that she had learned to stop shutting people out.

I'm never letting go. Elsa thought to herself. Never again. It was a promise that she kept for as long as she lived, spending the rest of her life with a family she was proud to call her own. It took longer than for most people, but they all ended up living happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who have never read any of my stories, I do a Behind The Scenes essay for each of my multi-chapter stories as a way to explain my writing process. I post these on my tumblr (onthecyberseas) and you can find all of them through the "BTS" link in the main menu.


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